


Paradise

by MeetMeInTheDark



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, M/M, Out of Character, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-07
Updated: 2012-08-07
Packaged: 2018-10-01 12:30:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10189931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeetMeInTheDark/pseuds/MeetMeInTheDark
Summary: This is a little sequel for That Fateful Summer. Lucius looks back on his life and looks forward to reuniting with Harry again.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Note from SeparatriX, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [HP Fandom](http://fanlore.org/wiki/HP_Fandom_\(archive\)), which was closed for health and financial reasons. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2016. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [HP Fandom collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/hpfandom/profile).

Disclaimer: The HP Universe is property of J.K. Rowling. I make no profit from this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lucius Malfoy had reached the end of his life. It had been a long one, ninety years long as a matter of fact. He had known great happiness and great sadness, and a regret more poignant than anything else. His life would have been much different if he hadn't allowed his fear to hold him back for so long.

Fifty-two years ago, in 1964, he met Harry James Potter, a beautiful eighteen-year-old boy. They'd met at a meeting for Ministers of Magic from all over the world, held in Montana. Lucius had only been an aide to Cornelius Fudge at the time, though he would eventually replace the man as England's Minister for Magic, and Harry's family catered the event. They fell madly, desperately in love during the course of that summer, packing passion and joy into every second they could manage to steal away together.

Unfortunately, Narcissa, Lucius' wife, had discovered their relationship, and threatened to expose it to Lucius' superiors. Lucius was less concerned about his own reputation than he was for Harry's. He didn't want Harry to suffer the looks and speculation he'd receive if word got out that he was dating an older, married man. So, even though the pain it caused him lingered for the next half-century, Lucius broke off his relationship with Harry. He was cruel about it, so Harry wouldn't seek him out, so he would be able to move on and find someone new.

Unbeknownst to him, Harry was pregnant with their child. Lucius had only learned of the daughter they created, their Ella, a year ago when he finally returned to the small Montana town where his entire life changed. He supposed he shouldn't be too surprised his world was changed again; this was a magical place for him, after all, the place where his sweetest memories were created.

Even as he discovered that he had a daughter, he learned that Harry, his sweet love, was gone. Harry had been killed in a robbery when Ella was only sixteen. Lucius had fallen to his knees before Harry's grave, reading him a letter he had recently written, and apologized with everything he had for not staying when he had the chance.

He and Ella made up for lost time, though they both knew his cancer wouldn't let him linger in this world for too long. He met her husband, Jeremy, and their three children, his grandchildren, and celebrated the news of a great-grandchild with all of them. None of them ever expressed any bitterness, no one asked "Where have you been all these years?", they simply accepted him into their lives. It was a humbling experience, to stand among these loving people, and feel completely accepted. The weight of his guilt, of his regret, was almost more than he could bear some days. However, he always found he could, because how could he not be happy in the presence of his family, the family he had started with the love of his life, his Harry?

Nowadays, they visited him in the hospital, brightening his day significantly. The pain was a constant throb, lurking behind potions, and any distraction from it was welcome. Ella often spoke of Harry when she visited, telling him everything she could remember. When she told him the first dish she'd ever cooked, chocolate chip cookies, it brought back a rush of memories that caused tears to clog up Lucius' throat.

Their very first time together had been when they were making a pizza. They'd gotten into a horribly messy food fight and soon found themselves on the floor, desperate to touch whatever part of each other they could reach. Once it was over, they tried to pretend it wasn't as affecting as it was, and Harry showed Lucius how to make chocolate chip cookies from scratch, distracting them from their emotions. It hadn't worked for long, but Lucius enjoyed cooking with Harry because he felt so at ease around the younger man.

In the fifty-odd years since, he hadn't been able to see a pizza or chocolate chip cookies without remembering Harry. 

"Papa?"

Lucius looked over to see Ella. She looked so much like Harry with her soft features and her raven hair, but her eyes were his, a steely silver. Smiling, she sat down on the chair next to the bed, reaching out to pat his arm.

"How are you feeling today?" she asked.

"Fine," he replied, though his voice was hoarse. In reality, he felt like utter shit, but he didn't want to worry her even more. It was obvious enough how sick he was because he'd lost weight and his skin had a greyish cast to it; he didn't need to give her a detailed update on how he felt physically. 

Ella knew he was lying, she'd have been a fool not to, but she didn't comment. Oh, how she wished she'd gone to England sooner to meet him! Harry had told her about him, and even showed her a few pictures of the two of them. She had considered going to meet him, but she didn't feel it was her place. What if Dad had been wrong? What if Lucius left not because he was trying to protect Dad, but because he really meant all of those horrible things he said? If he had meant them, then the last thing he'd want was to see the daughter he'd fathered with a man who meant so little to him. If she were really honest with herself, she'd admit that she was scared to meet him. She had this image in her head of her father, created by Dad's loving descriptions and her own childish dreams, and she didn't want that image tarnished. It was safer to never know him than to find out he was nothing like she'd always hoped, or at least that was how she felt for most of her life.

When she finally did meet her papa, he was everything Dad made him out to be. She'd been so relieved, so thrilled that it never occured to her that most people would be angry at how long it took Lucius to come visiting. He hadn't known about her, so she thought it was foolish to be angry. He hadn't rejected her, hadn't denied fathering her, or done any of the other things she'd feared. Instead, this past year, despite his health problems, he tried so very hard to get to know her and her family. He seemed to take such pleasure in spending time with her. How could she be angry about the missed years? There was nothing she could do to change it, so she simply enjoyed every moment she had with her papa. Dad would be happy for the both of them, she knew.

"Ella, tell me about him," Lucius requested.

She smiled again, as touched as always by how much he still loved Harry. "When I was twelve, Grandma and Grandpa threw a Halloween party at their house for friends and family. Dad refused to let me see his costume, even though I nagged him about it like crazy. I thought for sure it would be a cool costume, something that would put all the other costumes to shame. Why else would he be so determined to hide it? Now, I'd been pretty upset around that time because our dog, Farley, died a couple of weeks before, and I missed him so much. Dad knew this, so instead of wearing this awesome costume I was expecting, he came out into the living room wearing a chicken suit. I laughed so hard I cried. Later, after we came home from the party where plenty of other people got a laugh too, as he was tucking me into bed, he said, 'Whenever you feel sad, sweet pea, just remember me in my costume tonight. Even if nothing is happening around you to cheer you up, you always have your memories. Your dear old dad making a fool of himself should be a pretty good thing to remember, right?' In the four years after that, before I lost him, whenever I needed cheering up, he'd cluck loudly and obnoxiously until I smiled. It never took long for him to make me smile."

Tears gathered in Lucius' eyes, though there was a smile on his face. How easily he could see Harry doing that. He wouldn't consider the ribbing he'd receive later, all he'd think of was making his baby girl happy again. Lucius wished so much that he had been a part of that.

"I'm so sorry, Ella."

"Shhh, it's okay. You're here now," she assured him, grasping his hand. 

He held hers with surprising strength. It was time; he could feel his magic starting to drain. Oh Merlin, it hadn't been long enough! He wanted to spend more time with Ella, more time with his grandchildren. It seemed so cruel to lose them only a year after knowing them. 

When that thought crossed his mind, he realized that he was actually lucky. He had known Harry only a few short months. Suddenly the year with his daughter seemed like the greatest blessing he'd ever been given, seconded only by meeting Harry.

"Ella, I want you to know how much I love you, how proud I am of you," he began. 

She realized what was happening and leaned forward desperately. "Oh God, Papa, please--"

"No, no, let me say this." He turned towards her more, so he could look into her eyes, which were rapidly filling with tears. "My greatest regret in life is leaving Harry and going for so long without knowing you. I've been so lucky to have this time with you. I love you so much."

"I love you, too," she sobbed.

Though his voice was weakening, though his eyes were growing heavy, he managed to say one last thing, "And I have always... always loved... loved Harry. My sweet Harry."

Ella continued holding his hand long after it went slack in hers. Tears continued flowing down her face, though she barely noticed. She'd only had a year with him and it hardly seemed fair. At least, she'd had sixteen years with Harry, though the loss of him had cut just as deeply. Only knowing Lucius a year didn't make the pain any less immense.

How long she sat there, she didn't know. All of a sudden, however, she popped up in her seat, straining her ears. Did she really just hear...? No, that was ridiculous. Then the sound came again and she knew she didn't imagine it. 

Clucking.

Ella smiled and her tears were of happiness when they fell. 

"Hello, Dad," she said softly. She turned to Lucius and gently kissed his brow. "Goodbye, Papa."

Her parents were together again now, which was what both of them had always wanted.

~*~

Lucius slowly blinked his eyes open, noticing a bright blue sky. He sat up, taking in his surroundings. He was currently sitting on very green grass that was soft to the touch. A cottage stood a little ways away, made inviting by the simple lines and the cheery rows of flowers sitting along front. The dark blue door opened and out stepped Harry Potter.

"Hello, Lucius," Harry said, grinning. "I've been waiting a long time for you to show up."

He'd been watching over Lucius, and Ella, of course. It had pleased him to no end when they finally met and finally had the chance to know each other. He'd watched as Lucius deteriorated, feeling both anguished that Lucius and Ella were suffering and elated because Lucius would finally be with him again. Thanks to an old joke, he was able to alleviate some of Ella's grief. Now, he could enjoy greeting the love of his life.

"Harry," Lucius breathed, standing. 

He rushed forward and caught Harry in his arms, pulling him close. He buried his face in Harry's hair, trying to hold back the tears of sheer, undiluted joy, but he failed and cried away the last fifty-two years of regret and loneliness. Harry cried, too, clinging to Lucius, not sure if he'd ever be able to let him out of his sight again.

"Oh, Harry, my love, my beautiful love. I've missed you so much."

"I missed you, too."

Lucius drew back. "There's so much I want to tell you, so much I want to explain."

Harry gently pressed two fingers to Lucius' mouth, stopping the explanation before he could start. "We have eternity for explanations. For now, just kiss me."

All too happy to oblige, Lucius leaned down and captured Harry's lips. They were as full, as soft as he remembered, and he lost himself in the feelings only Harry had ever been able to evoke. Harry was right; they had eternity to explain everything. For now, the only thing that mattered was that they kiss as if it were the last time, or more accurately, as if it were the first time. What more could they possibly want of paradise?

 

 

A/N: I hope I was able to tie up everything well. Please let me know what you thought. ^__^


End file.
